Ultra-low Headroom Hoist Solution for Nuclear Power Plant

The project engineer thought that he had an impossible task. When contacting virtually every hoist manufacturer he could find, this project engineer at an East Coast (U.S.) nuclear power plant was repeatedly told that his application requirements were “unworkable”.

The project required a 16-ton capacity hoist and trolley that could be operated manually by one person. The trolley had to operate on a circular track having a curve radius of only 132”. The minimum headroom could not exceed 14-1/4”. The unit also had to be designed to permit installation from directly under the monorail beam, with the minimum amount of disassembly and reassembly required for installation.

Before giving up on this project, this engineer was encouraged to contact an Applications Engineer at Chester Hoist, a CMCO hoist brand. Lucky us.

Numerous other requirements existed including a high minimum design factor, compliance with applicable standards (ASME B30.16 in addition to specifications set forth by the project engineer at the site), and training and support prior to commissioning of the hoist.

One of our Chester application engineers worked closely with the project engineer, to identify the critical requirements. It was determined that by making some design modifications, the “Zephyr” low headroom hoist could be tailored to fit the application. The hoist was engineered and built to order. The “unworkable” problem was solved.